Combined battery retainer and bulb carrier for electric lanterns



June 16,1942. w MQXLEY 2,286,685

COMBINED BATTERY RETAINER AND BULB CARRIER FOR ELECTRIC LANTERNS Filed June 10, 1941 Patented June 16, 1942 2 COMBINED BATTERY RETAINER AND BULB CARRIER FOR- ELECTRIG LANTERNS William M. Moxley, Kansas City, Mo. Application June 10, 1941, Serial No. 397,480

3 Claims.

Electric hand lanterns of the type to which this invention relates are very widely used and are at present rapidly supplanting oil lanterns as signaling means among railroad men. Since the use of these lanterns for signaling purposes involves swinging them to positions well above the horizontal, it follows that the relatively heavy batteries employed would tend to move away from the bulbs of the lantern unless means were provided to prevent it.

The use of these lanterns for railroad signaling purposes has recently been approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission, but such approval was conditioned upon the provision of means upon or within the lantern for carrying a spare bulb or bulbs.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive means for thrusting and holding the battery into firm contact with the lamp bulbs.

It is a further object of the invention to utilize this battery retainer as a carrier for a spare bulb or bulbs.

In some of the earlier types of electric hand lanterns, the battery was thrust toward the bulbs by a spring which bore between the lantern cover and the battery. This necessitated the provision of covers having such a tight fit upon the lantern body as to make the removal or replacement of the cover quite a troublesome task. It is, therefore, a further object of the present invention to provide a battery retaining device which exerts its thrust between the wall of the lantern body and the battery and is wholly independent of the cover. Thus, a simple slip cover may be employed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a lantern, constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the battery retainer;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the battery retainer;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the battery retainer with the lamp body broken away, and;

Fig. 5 illustrates a slightly modified form of retainer.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

In the drawing, 5 designates the lantern body, 6 the skeleton base upon which said body is supported, 1 a simple slip cap which fits upon the body, 8 the battery, 9 thelight bulbs, and 10 the bail or handle. All of these parts are like the parts of the lanterns already on the market. The invention resides, as above stated, in the meansfor thrusting the battery 8 toward the bulbs 9. The structure employed for this purpose consists of a transverse plate or bar H having the upstanding ends l2. The oppositely facing edges of the ends I2 are serrated to provide teeth l3.

These teeth are adapted to engage inwardly projecting pins l4 of the body 5 and they are so shaped as to cause the retainer to remain in engagement with the pins l4 after the ends l2 have been thrust beneath said pins. This is accomplished by seating the plate I I upon the top of the battery 8 and imparting a turning movement to the plate through the medium of the thumb and finger pieces I5 carried by the upper face of plate H. Such turning or twisting movement of plate II causes the ends l2 to move in opposite directions to engage pins M.

It should be noted that the serrations or teeth have their upper faces l3 inclined upwardly toward their outer ends. This causes these teeth to remain in engagement with the pins as described.

It will be apparent that movement of the near end of the battery retainer in Fig. 4, toward the right, will exert a vertical thrust against the underside of pin Hi, this thrust tending to move pin l4 upwardly, and consequently tending to thrust the battery 8, upon which plate H rests, downwardly. The plate II is provided with one or more spring clips l6, adapted to receive spare bulbs ll. Since these spare bulbs are housed within the lantern, it follows that they will be protected against damage until the time of their use arrives.

While I have shown the upstanding ends l2 as provided with serrations or teeth, it is clear that these oppositely facing inclined portions could be simple inclined planes constituting cams, as suggested in Fig. 5.

While the invention is particularly intended for use in connection with electric hand lanterns, it is to be understood that the principles employed may be embodied in other constructions where an article is to be retained within a container of any kind.

The retainer is of .great simplicity. It may be stamped from sheet metal and manufactured at a low cost, while at the same time it is highly efflcient.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown and described, but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an electric hand lantern of the type comprising a lantern body and a battery in said body, the side walls of the body projecting upwardly beyond the battery, of a freely removable pressure exerting retainer for the battery comprising a plate and an upstanding end portion at each end of said plate, the upper faces of the end portions being oppositely inclined and notched to provide upwardly facing teeth, pins-carried by and projecting inwardly from the inner walls of the lantern body in position to be engaged by;

said teeth when the plate is turned about a vertical axis to force the inclinedifaoes:ofizthe:.saidi ends beneath said pins.

' 2. In an electric hand lantern of the-type com-. prising a lantern body and a batteryin saidbody,

the side walls of the body projectingupwardly" beyond the battery, of a freely removable -'-pres-:

sure exerting retainer for the battery comprising a plate and an upstanding end portion at each end of said plate, the upper faces of the end portions being oppositely inclined and notched to provide upwardly facing teeth, pins carried by and projecting inwardly from the inner walls of the lantern body in position to be engaged by said teeth when the plate is turned about a vertical axis and finger grasps upon the upper face of said plate, by which'it may be turned to force the inclined faces of the said ends beneath said pins.

3. A structure as recited in claim 1, in combination with a spare bulb receiving spring clip upstandingfrom the face of the plate at a point substantially centrally thereof, and a cover fitted on the'zlanternbody and covering and protecting said spare bulb.

WILLIAM M. MOXLEY. 

